20. UNDER|DOX 09-15 OKT 2025

The relationship between violence and the exploitation of natural resources in Mexico.

Over the last two decades, the Mexican state, private corporations, and civil society have all been corroded by organized crime. However, the popular portrayal of the “Narcos” tends to reduce everything to a handful of bad guys who sell drugs and kill people. The reality is much more complex. In many mining towns, workers who have tried to improve their working conditions have faced sudden violence – violence that is often attributed to drug cartels by both the state and the mine owners. This caricature of organized crime has become a convenient scapegoat for anyone looking to silence dissent or dismantle grassroots movements. I began thinking about the murder of an activist in a mining town, and what might happen to the person who discovers the body. Eventually, I settled on focusing on someone completely unpoliticized. Through that lens, the film gradually shifted focus. It became more about his inner world – his family life, his desires, his fears. – Nicolás Pereda

Nicolás Pereda
MX, CA 2025 | Special Mention FID Marseille
79 min | Spanish